


The Fire

by cowgirl65



Series: Be A Man [28]
Category: The Big Valley
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-18
Updated: 2012-09-18
Packaged: 2017-11-14 13:37:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/515762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowgirl65/pseuds/cowgirl65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jarrod reflects on the future after Dave returns from a posse.  partially inspired by the Queen song "Who Wants To Live Forever"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own The Big Valley and make no money from this.

Jarrod quietly slipped out of Dave’s bed. The doctor had pronounced the wound not serious when the sheriff returned with the posse, but he’d lost a fair amount of blood and even an uncritical bullet wound wasn’t something to be trifled with. Jarrod had bullied his lover into taking the sedative painkiller the doctor sent home before crawling into bed beside Dave and holding him close until he fell asleep.

Jarrod brushed back Dave’s tousled hair and kissed him lightly. “I’ll see you later,” he whispered to the sleeping man and sent up a silent prayer of thanks that Dave had returned to him alive once again. Jarrod tried not to think about it, but every time Dave pinned that star to his vest, there was a very real chance he wouldn’t come back and Jarrod was thankful he’d moved into town so they could spend that much more time together.

Jarrod closed the door quietly when he left, not really concerned about anyone seeing him when he went outside. He and Dave were good enough friends that it wasn’t unreasonable for him to be taking care of his friend and neighbour when he was injured. Checking his watch when he got outside, Jarrod decided to head to his office and finish the brief he needed for court in the morning. It would keep him from fretting over Dave and he figured he had a few more hours of work in him yet.

It wasn’t anything too difficult, a land dispute for which he’d been able to find ample evidence to support his client’s claims. So Jarrod allowed his mind to wander while he put everything in order. He thought about how it felt to have Dave’s hands skimming over his bare chest, about the salty taste of Dave’s nipples when he sucked them hard, about they way their bodies fit together so perfectly and he had to readjust his pants before he could concentrate on work again. He would make a point to let Dave know exactly how much he needed and desired him the next chance he got, not that Jarrod thought Dave actually needed reminding. But it would be a bit before the sheriff was able to take up his full duties again and Jarrod’s mind filled with wicked ideas about what they could do with that time once Dave was up to it.

His wandering thoughts made the work take longer than expected and it was well after midnight when he finally locked up the office. There was still light and noise from the saloon across the street and Jarrod paid close attention to his surroundings as he walked down the street, not wanting an altercation with a drunken patron. Suddenly he became aware of the smell of smoke in the air. He looked around and when he spotted a faint glow in the direction of home, he broke into a run. His belly clenched in fear when he saw the flickering flames rising over the roof of Dave’s house. Smoke was seeping out the windows and Jarrod saw no sign of the sheriff.

“Fire!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Fire!” But Jarrod didn’t wait to see if anyone would respond. Injured and drugged as he was, there was little chance Dave could get out of the burning house by himself. His personal safety didn’t matter, all that was important to Jarrod was to save the life of someone he loved more than life itself. 

Jarrod didn’t bother to open the door; he hit it hard with his shoulder, causing the latch to give. Smoke rolled out and he quickly covered his mouth and nose with his arm as he started to cough. His eyes watered and he had to take a moment before pushing on. A loud crash came from near the kitchen and new flames leapt up from the fallen ceiling. Jarrod had to beat out a small fire that started on his sleeve before he managed to make it to the small hall that led to the bedroom. Flames licked at the walls and it filled with smoke. Jarrod heard another loud crash from Dave’s room and quickly ran into the room to find Dave collapsed on the floor.

“Dave!” Jarrod gasped through the smoke. Dave lifted himself feebly, but coughing overcame him and he fell back to the floor. 

Jarrod looked over his shoulder. The flames almost filled the doorway, so there would be no escape that way. That only left the small window. Jarrod snatched a heavy blanket, wrapped it around his arm and smashed the glass, removing it completely from the frame. He grabbed Dave under the arms and dragged him the short way to the window before heaving him into his arms and out the window. Jarrod just managed to make it out before the rest of the roof collapsed in a whoosh of flame. Slinging Dave over his shoulder, Jarrod staggered to the street as the fire engine pulled to a stop. He set Dave down carefully and his heart stopped when he saw Dave wasn’t moving.

“Dammit, Dave!” he yelled hoarsely, his voice cracking from the smoke he’d breathed in. He pulled Dave into his arms, heedless of who might see, and pounded him on the back like he would someone who was drowning. Jarrod only started breathing again himself when he heard a weak cough. Laying Dave back down gently, Jarrod sighed in relief to see a glint of blue as Dave’s eyes fluttered open.

“Jarr-” But a painful-sounding cough cut Dave off. Jarrod removed his coat and folded it under Dave’s head.

“Just lie still,” he whispered. Dave closed his eyes and Jarrod kept a reassuring hand on his shoulder during the bouts of coughing. He heard the shouts from the fire brigade as they battled the blaze and it wasn’t long before Dr. Merar was kneeling beside them. 

“Sheriff, how do you feel?” Dave didn’t answer and the doctor quickly pulled his stethoscope out of his bag and listened to Dave’s chest before checking his pulse. “It sounds like he inhaled a lot of smoke, but his pulse is strong.” He peeled back Dave’s eyelid. “Looks like he took the painkillers I gave earlier. Between that and the smoke, that’s probably why he’s not responding.”

Jarrod nodded in relief. Dr. Merar eyed him critically. “You look a bit singed yourself,” he observed. “Don’t be alarmed if you have headaches and are a bit short of breath for a few days, smoke’ll do that to you. But if you have a lot of trouble breathing or lose consciousness, call me immediately. That goes for the sheriff, too.”

“Thanks, doc,” Jarrod rasped.

“How’s the sheriff, doc?’ the fire chief asked as he walked over.

The doctor stood. “He should be fine.”

The chief turned to Jarrod. “The fire’s out. It looks like it was set by some kids smoking cigars in the alley, Jarrod. Your house has some water damage, but it’ll be fine once it’s dried out. A couple men will be sticking around a while to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

Jarrod shook the other man’s hand. “Thanks. Do you think you might be able to get me a wagon?” He stopped and coughed. “I’m going to take Sheriff Barrett over to the hotel and get him settled for the night.”

“You bet.”

The chief and one of his men helped Jarrod get Dave upstairs after he arranged for a room with a bath. He got one for himself too, even though he didn’t plan on using it. After he thanked the men and assured them he didn’t need any more help, he ran some warm water into the tub before turning back to the injured man on the bed.

Dave groaned as Jarrod removed his soot-stained sleeping pants. Dr. Merar had left him a roll of clean bandage, but when Jarrod tried to tug the dirty one off the wound, Dave’s eyes flew open.

“Ahhh!” he yelped and started coughing again. Jarrod immediately stopped. He sat beside Dave, propped him up on the bed with some pillows and put his arms around him. Dave looked at him with bleary eyes. “Jarrod?” he croaked. “What…?”

Jarrod rubbed his chest. “There was a fire, but everyone’s okay.”

Dave let his head fall back against the pillows. “That’s good,” he whispered.

Jarrod got up. “C’mon, I’ve got a bath ready. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Nodding, Dave let Jarrod help him up and leaned heavily on him as they made their way to the bathroom and got Dave into the tub. Jarrod was able to remove the dirty bandage after soaking it for a bit and then proceeded to wash off the grime with a soft cloth. Dave leaned into Jarrod’s hands as he lathered up Dave’s hair. He cracked open an eye after Jarrod finished rinsing off the soap. “Gonna join me? It’s a big tub.”

Jarrod did feel in need of a bath and Dave was right, it was a big tub. “Sounds like a good idea.” He peeled off his own filthy clothing, slowly lowered himself into the water facing Dave and hissed when his arm touched the water.

“Jarrod?”

Jarrod looked down to where his jacket had caught on fire. He hadn’t noticed before, but the fire must have burned through the cloth. The hair was singed off a large portion of his forearm and the skin was a bright pink. “It’ll be okay, just a minor burn.”

“You pulled me out of there, didn’t you?”

Jarrod looked up to see Dave’s concerned gaze.

“You could’ve been killed.”

“You would’ve died otherwise,” Jarrod told him, caressing Dave’s leg. “I couldn’t do anything else.”

Dave reached down and grasped Jarrod’s hand. Nothing else was said; nothing had to be. When the water had cooled, Jarrod helped Dave out of the tub and dried them both before helping Dave back to bed. He replaced the bandage on Dave’s wound, turned out the lamp and wrapped Dave in a tight embrace when they lay down. The stress of the day finally got to him, of Dave returning home shot, of the fire and of the fear he might never hold Dave like this again.

Dave must have felt the tears that leaked out of Jarrod’s eyes. He rolled over and Jarrod felt gentle fingers wipe the wetness from his cheeks. “I’m still here, Jarrod,” Dave murmured, not needing any words to know what his lover was feeling.

Jarrod nodded silently. He knew Dave was feeling the same way, that all the time they had together would never be enough and that someday one of them would be left alone. “Move in with me,” he said suddenly. He caught Dave’s eyes in the dim glow from the window. “No one will question it after the fire.” Everyone in town knew they were close friends and it wasn’t unheard of for two well-respected widowers to share a home. “Say yes, Dave.”

“Yes, Jarrod.” 

Dave moved over and Jarrod leaned into the kiss. No one had forever, but they had right now and he’d do his damnedest to make sure right now lasted as long as it possibly could.

**Author's Note:**

> WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER
> 
> Words and music by Brian May
> 
> There's no time for us  
> There's no place for us  
> What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away  
> from us
> 
> Who wants to live forever  
> Who wants to live forever....?
> 
> There's no chance for us  
> It's all decided for us  
> This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us
> 
> Who wants to live forever  
> Who wants to live forever?  
> Who dares to love forever?
> 
> When love must die
> 
> But touch my tears with your lips  
> Touch my world with your fingertips  
> And we can have forever  
> And we can love forever  
> Forever is our today
> 
> Who wants to live forever  
> Who wants to live forever?  
> Forever is our today
> 
> Who has forever anyway?


End file.
